C E L E B R A T I N G 1 0 0 Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E L I B R A R Y H I S T O R Y F R O M 1 8 9 9 - 1 9 0 4

A British statesman once observed, “Libraries are not made: they grow.” This has nowhere been more true than here in Atlantic City. The library existed as an insti-tution several years before it had a building to call its own. The Women’s Research Club, a private organiza-tion, established the library in 1899. In 1900, a library was opened in the basement of the Rochford Hotel at Mount Vernon and Pacific Avenues with 197 books on the shelves, contributed by the Women’s Research Club members.

Sixteen years earlier, New Jersey had passed an act em-powering local government to allocate fund for the es-tablishment of public libraries. Toward the end of the 1900s, the ladies suggested that the city adopt such an ordinance, offering the modest collection as the nucleus for the new public library.

On November 5, 1901 the public library act was submit-ted to the voters of Atlantic City at the general election and was adopted by a vote of 6062 in favor and 30 op-posed. Thus the Atlantic City Free Public Library was conceived.

In 1902, five trustees were appointed by the Honorable Franklin B. Stoy, Mayor of Atlantic City. The library’s first home was on the third floor of City Hall, located at Tennes-see and Atlantic Avenues. The early years saw growth and tremendous movement as the library, with the assistance of the Women’s Research Club, hired Miss Rena Somers as its first librarian to work three days a week for up to five months, after which the trustees assumed all expenses. The library now boasted a collection of more than 2,000 volumes and was outgrowing its home.

The trustees, knowing that the room at City Hall was too small, soon moved to acquire two properties at Illinois and Pacific Avenues for the construction of a new Library. At the same time the trustees applied for funds from Andrew Carnegie to build the library.

Andrew Carnegie donated $71,000 for the construction. Carnegie, considered the “Patron Saint of Libraries”, insisted that the funds be used for construction only and that any funds for books come from the community. The excitement and anticipation of the new library grew as the cornerstone for the Carnegie Library was laid in 1904.

Discovery

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :

• New Movies/DVDs

• New CDs

• Best Sellers List

• O.A.S.I.S.

• Youth Services

Library will be closed:

Jan 1 - New Year’s Day Jan 17 – Martin Luther King Feb 11 – Lincoln’s Birthday Feb 21 – President’s Day

Connecting People to the World

J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 5

To be continued in the March / April Edition of Discovery.

“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”

— Andrew Carnegie

A F R I C A N A M E R I C A N H I S T O R Y M O N T H

A presentation of a film simply entitled “Amaleta” by David Iaco-nangelo a 16 year old film maker from Cape May. The film about a West Cape May African-American woman, born in the small borough in 1916, looks at her dedication and commitment to family and community. This young filmmaker’s documentary about the life of one woman, Amaleta Moore was shown to standing room only audiences during the Cape May New Jersey Film Festival.

Saturday, February 5th at 2pm in the Main Library

“Preserving the Past for the Future” is what the “Pop” Lloyd Committee is all about. Established in 1992, the com-mittee continues to celebrate the legacy of “Pop” Lloyd and the Negro League so that the youth of American may benefit from the values engen-dered by “Pop” and all those that played Negro League Baseball. The program will consist of a docu-mentary commissioned by the “Pop” Lloyd Committee entitled: “Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson” and a panel

discussion, consisting of members of the Negro League. The panel: Stanley Glen was a strong-armed catcher for the Philadelphia Stars from 1944 to 1950. He then played three years in the minors and two in the Canadian League. Stanley was signed by hall-of-famer Oscar Charleston right out of John Bartram High School in Philadelphia. Mahlon Duckett began his baseball career at the age of seventeen, when he joined the Philadelphia Stars in 1940. He played for the Stars from 1940 to 1949 and finished out his Negro League career with the Home-stead Grays in 1950. Belinda Manning, a member of the Pop Lloyd Committee and daughter of Maxwell Manning, will speak on behalf of her father. Manning was a star pitcher for Pleasantville High School and the Johnson Stars of Atlantic City in 1937. Sometimes called "Dr. Cyclops” because of the thick eyeglasses he wore, he signed with the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League in 1938.

Saturday, February 19th at 2pm in the Main Library

Meet and listen to Art Dorrington, the first African-American to play professional ice hockey in the United States. Dorrington, a native of Canada, was inducted in to the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame in 2004. This 20 year resident of Atlan-tic City, retired from the Atlantic County Sheriff's Department in 1994.

Today he spends his time as a consultant for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies Hockey Team, as well as, working with the Art Dorrington Ice Hockey Foundation, a non-profit youth hockey organization based in Atlantic City. For Art it has never been just about hockey, but about the people.

Art will share inspirational stories of his life, his experiences and how being recruited by the New York Rangers, in 1950, affected his life and the lives of those around him.

Saturday, February 12th at 2pm in the Main Library

W H A T ’ S N E W A T T H E L I B R A R Y . . .

¡ P A R A S U I N F O R M A C I Ó N ! F O R Y O U R I N F O R M A T I O N !

La Biblioteca tiene sobre

1500 libros en el español.

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Happy New Year!! Winter is officially here and nights are sure to be longer and colder. However, don't despair. This is the most festive yet relaxing time of the year. Getting under those blankets a little earlier will inevitably mean a bombardment of reality shows, season pre-miers, and nightly news programs. In rebellion, why not bake some cookies, heat up some hot chocolate, and set up shop to enjoy my Top 3 movie picks for January.

Sling Blade-5 bookmarks (Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter) Billy Bob Thornton directed, adapted, and starred in this haunting, comical, and powerful rural drama about a mentally challenged individual with a violent past who a life altering bond with a young boy trapped in a tur-bulent present. Thornton's character transformation is one of the finest in the history of cinema.

Seabiscuit- 4 bookmarks (Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper) Jeff Bridges and Tobey Maguire shine in this deeply moving true story of a racehorse that brings hope and excitement to a nation battling with the Depression. By no means is this just a horseracing fan's movie; it's really a tearjerker with an emphasis on the joys of overcoming adversity.

The Magdalene Sisters-(New Release) 4 bookmarks (Geraldine McEwan) A compelling and shocking tale of three sisters cast out society for crimes that they did not commit and condemned to harsh manual labor. In the end their courage would inspire a nation. Based on a true story set in Ireland, this is a monumental portrayal of one of the great tragedies of our time.

You can manage your Library Membership Online.

When on the Internet, you can access your account information through the Library Web Page at www.acfpl.org. Follow the on screen prompting to:

• find out what items you have out. • find out if you have overdue items. • place a request for an item. • sign up for electronic notification

or reminders of overdue items.

Usted puede manejar su cuenta de miembro de la biblioteca en línea.

Cuándo en el Internet, usted puede tener ac-ceso a su información de cuenta a traves de la Página web de la Biblioteca en www.acfpl.org.

Siga la pantalla que induce a:

• Averigüe qué artículos que usted tiene fuera.

• Averigüe si usted tiene artículos atrasados. • Coloque un pedido para un artículo. • Inscríbase para la notificación o recordato-

rios electrónicos de artículos atrasados.

The Library has over

1500 books in Spanish.

Preserving the past, providing services for the present and preparing for the future. The Atlantic City Free Public Library is celebrating a milestone in 2005….100 years of service to the Atlantic City community. This milestone comes with a renewed commitment to the community we serve. The Library mission is to provide library services, resources, programs and activities to meet the diverse educational, informational, and recreational needs of the Atlantic City community. That mission is as strong today as when it was created. The library has come a long way from our first home at the Carnegie funded library. From a collection of 2000 books when the doors first opened to the public in 1905, we have grown to our current collection of over 125,000 books, magazines, videos, DVDs, and CDs in the Tennessee Avenue location. The library services feature adult and children's collections that include the latest bestsellers, a variety of foreign languages; African-American studies; educational resources;

business information; audio-visual formats and much more. Our highly skilled reference staff can help you find the informa-tion you need, and the reference and information areas also include Internet access. This allows anyone to surf the web in the computer center or use your laptop through our wireless network.

Our community programs include O.A.S.I.S: Older Adults Special Interest Series featuring weekly programs on health, current events and other topics of interest; children's story times and much more. The audiovisual department is expanding daily to include ever popular DVDs, books and music on CD and more. The Richmond Branch Library is located in the Richmond Avenue School and offers the latest books, videos and DVDs for adults and children.

If you haven't visited the library lately, you will be pleasantly surprised at the multitude of services

we provide. Come visit us during our 100th anniversary, talk to our dedicated staff and relax with a good book, CD, DVD or magazine.

Maureen Sherr Frank Library Director

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R

Atlantic City Free Public Library

T O P 3 M O V I E S / D V D S T O S E E I N J A N U A R Y A N D F E B R U A R Y

B Y L E O N A R D D O Z I E R * 5 is the maximum bookmarks a movie can receive. 5 bookmarks are equivalent to a perfect film*

January 3, 2005

Re-evaluate Your Assets for 2005 Tony Blum, Financial Advisor, Foote Financial

January 10, 2005 Book Talk & Meet the Author

“Boardwalk of Dreams” Bryant Simon, Professor of History

Temple University

January 17, 2004

Library Closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 24, 2005 Main Street Atlantic City Seana Grady, Director

Main Street Atlantic City

January 31, 2005 Broken Silence, a Holocaust Survivor’s

Documentary Sonia Kaplan & Ellen Wetzel

February 7, 2005 Social Security Update David Delaney, Public Affairs Specialist Social

Security Administration

February 14, 2005

Valentine’s Day Craft Atlantic City Arts Center

February 21, 2004

Library Closed President’s Day

February 28, 2004

African American History

Classics Project African American Studies Program

Richard Stockton College

O . A . S . I . S . O L D E R A D U L T S S P E C I A L I N T E R E S T S E R I E S

J O I N U S M O N D A Y M O R N I N G S A T 1 0 : 3 0 A M

C O M P U T E R T R A I N I N G C E N T E R

Y O U T H S E R V I C E S

A good book knows no age limits.

The Youth Services staff knows that each reader is unique and so is what they enjoy reading. That is the reason we do not mark books with a grade level. The same book can be read, re-read and enjoyed by people at many grade levels.

So how is a parent going to find a book that is appropriate for a child in a particular grade? There are several possible answers to that question.

• Ask the child what he or she likes to read. • Ask a librarian for help. • Ask the child’s teacher. If the child goes to one of the area

schools using the Accelerated Reader Program, the child will probably have a list of books that educators have chosen for that grade level. The Library has most of the Accelerated Reader books although they are not marked with the Acceler-ated Reader color codes.

• Trust your instincts. Parents are the best judge of a child’s interests. If you think the child will enjoy it, you are probably right.

Page 3 D I S C O V E R Y

Professor Bryant Simon, Ph.D., Professor of History

at Temple University

BOOKTALK & MEET THE AUTHOR

Monday, January 10, 2005 at

6:00pm in the Main Library

Services Include

Access to the Internet - Six days a week from 10:00AM daily.

Word Processing with Microsoft Office Suite - Available on all computer worksta-tions. Two stations have dedicated word processors available for an extended time; however, customers are limited to two hours if someone is waiting. Computer worksta-tions may also be reserved by Library mem-bers in good standing a week in advance.

Career Center Training - Customers can get assistance with online applications, email, resumes, cover letters & typing. This service is offered twice weekly: every Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 PM and every Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM

Free Email Training - Every Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM.

General Training Sessions - Offered monthly and require sign-up in advance. These general sessions last about one and a half hours and cover introductions to computers, Internet, email, word processing, and online research. Space is limited to 6. All candidates must provide a phone number for emergency contact, should the session be cancelled.

Computer Workstations (1-14) have “How To Use” training programs for self-learners.

Computer Center Hours: MON., TUE., WED. 10:00AM – 7:30PM THU., FRI., SAT. 10:00AM – 4:30PM

For Additional Information: 609-345-2269 Ext. 3066

Introduction to basic PC operations for first time users

Jan. 22 Saturday 10:00 am ­- 11:00 am Feb. 8 Tuesday 10:00 am ­- 11:00 am

Intro. To MS Word (Word Processing fundamentals)

Jan. 11 Tuesday 10:00 am ­- 11:00 am Feb. 19 Saturday 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Internet Basics (FOR BEGINNERS)

Jan. 24 Monday 6:00 pm ­- 7:00 pm Feb. 28 Monday 6:00 pm ­- 7:00 pm

T R A I N I N G S C H E D U L E

The Library Foundation is a nonprofit organization formed for the purpose of aiding the Atlantic City Free Public Library. Funds obtained through fund raising will be used by the Foundation to help the Library assist its users by providing special equipment and expanded services.

For the past five years the Library Foundation has hosted a Dinner that honors individuals who have worked tirelessly to serve and support the library and surround-ing community.

For information about the Library Foundation call (609) 345-2269 Ext 3001.

Story Times

Pre-school:

Thursdays at 10:30am

Children grades 1-6

Thursdays at 3:30pm

C E L E B R A T I N G 1 0 0 Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E T O A T L A N T I C C I T Y !

The Atlantic City Free Public Library is an independent municipal library funded and operated by the City of Atlantic City and governed

by a Board of Trustees.

Lorenzo T. Langford, Mayor

Benjamin Fitzgerald, Business Administrator

Ronald Cash, Director Health & Human Services

Atlantic City Council (Listed by Ward)

Gibb R. Jones, Jr. (1st) Marty Small (2nd)

Craig Callaway (3rd) William Marsh (4th) Dennis Mason (5th)

Timothy Mancuso (6th) Cassandra McCall Clark (At-Large)

Ramon Rosario (At-Large) Eugene Robinson (At-Large)

Library Board of Trustees

Patricia A. Bailey Curene Clark Ervin Betty L. Freeman Mary Lou Faulk

Fredrick P. Nickles Alton O’Reilly

Maureen Sherr Frank, Library Director Jennie C. Ayres, Discovery Editor

Main Library 1 North Tennessee Avenue

Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Phone: (609) 345-2269

Fax: (609) 345-5570

Main Library

Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Richmond Branch Ventnor & Windsor Ave. Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Phone: (609) 347-1902

Richmond Branch Hours:

Mon., Wed., & Fri. 9:00 a.m. to Noon

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

We are on the Web!

www.acfpl.org

In 1904, Andrew Carnegie

gave Atlantic City the funds

to build the first library. The

Richard Stockton College of

New Jersey, the Casino Re-

investment Development

Authority (CRDA), and the

C i t y o f A t l a n t i c

City collaborated in restor-

ing the historic Carnegie Library Building. The re-

cently renovated and expanded Beaux-Arts build-

ing, provides the College with modern facilities in

the heart of Atlantic City.

Renamed the Carnegie Library Center, it hosts

undergraduate and graduate courses, continuing

professional education programming, and special

events relevant to the needs of Atlantic City and its

surrounding region. A multi-use facility, Carnegie

serves the College and the residents of Atlantic

City and region as an educational and instructional

facility, a meeting place,

a conference center,

and through community

outreach.

Free Parking

Ask for Details

New Books on CD NON-FICTION

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach

Battle Ready by Tom Clancy

Benjamin Franklin by Walter Issacson

Big Russ and Me by Tim Russert

Caddy for Life by John Feinstein

Gasping for Air Time by Jay Mohr

FICTION 3rd Degree by James Patterson

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Hidden Prey by John Sandford

In the Moon of Red Ponies by James Lee Burke

Just One Look by Harlan Cobe

N O W A V A I L A B L E A T T H E L I B R A R Y

Bestselling Book Selections FICTION

London Bridges by James Patterson

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe

Hour Game by David Baldacci

Metro Girl by Janet Harpercollins

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

NON-FICTION The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America: a citi-zens guide to democracy in action by Jon Stewart

When Will Jesus bring the Port Chops by George Carlin

His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J Ellis

How to Talk to a Liberal by Ann H. Coulter

Chronicles by Bob Dylan